The UPSC Civil Services is the most competitive exam in India and judging by the sheer volume of applicants, the world itself. Every year, millions of students take part in the exam with only a select few making the proverbial cut.
What makes the UPSC so competitive in nature? What makes its posts so coveted? The UPSC Civil Services Exam 2022 isn’t going to be any different this year around. This article will seek to explain most of these questions by presenting a few known and (un)known facts.
Unique Facts about UPSC Civil Services
Fact#1: The UPSC Syllabus is vast and filled with a wide array of topics ranging from subjects such as history, geography, economics, polity, literature, science, current affairs etc. So aspirants who plan to appear for the exam need to be familiar with all these subjects and not just the core subjects they studied in their undergrads. In addition, the knowledge they gained when preparing for the UPSC can be put to use in other state/government exams such s PSC, SSC, ESIC, NDA etc
Fact#2: Although the Indian Administrative Service is the popular choice for many aspirants, the exam is conducted for about 24 civil services and allied posts. These include Indian FOreign Services, Indian Police Service, Indian Revenue Service, Indian Forest Services. Candidates appearing for these exams are only allowed six attempts or till the age 32 (whichever is earlier) unless they belong to special categories.
Fact#3: The UPSC Civil Services Examination is open to candidates of any educational background. All that is required is that they be graduates from a recognised institute and that they should be Indian citizens. Unless age relaxation is provided, candidates must be between 21 and 32 years of age.
Fact#4: In the main stage of the exam, there are many Optional subjects to choose from. Selecting the right kind of optional subjects is a crucial step in the UPSC exam as the right or wrong choice can make or break the chances of a UPSC aspirants career. Candidates usually make the choice when it comes to poptonsla based on their interests and capability , with one educational background being a deciding factor. There are as many as 25 optional subjects and 23 languages with which candidates can choose from.
Fact#5: A successful candidate sits for 32 hours of examination during the complete process spanning around one year.
Fact#6: The Civil Services Examination have their origins in the British eral Imperial Civil Service tests, as well as the civil service tests conducted by ancient Indian Empires such as the Maurya and Gupta Empires
Fact#7: On average, 900,000 to 1,000,000 candidates apply every year and the number of candidates sitting in the preliminary examination is approximately 550,000.
Fact#8: Although one needs to be an Indian citizen, the UPSC Civil Services is also open to citizens of Bhutan and Nepal.
Fact#9: In broad terms, the UPSC Interview is an assessment of not only a candidate’s intellectual qualities, but also social traits and interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
Fact#10: The number of candidates that pass the preliminary examination is generally 11 or 12 times the number of vacancies, and the number of candidates selected for the final interview is twice the number of vacancies.
Candidates looking to apply for the UPSC exam can refer to the UPSC Application Form 2022 to register for the examination.
